Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Trading Down 1.4% – Time to Sell?

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)’s share price traded down 1.4% on Monday . The company traded as low as $72.86 and last traded at $73.5340. 11,209,619 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 11% from the average session volume of 10,076,913 shares. The stock had previously closed at $74.55.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.22.

Altria Group Trading Down 1.4%

The firm’s 50-day moving average is $66.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.65. The stock has a market cap of $122.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. Altria Group’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.70%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 8.6% in the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 335,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,158,000 after acquiring an additional 26,624 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.3% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,522,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $232,677,000 after acquiring an additional 44,303 shares in the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,647,000 after acquiring an additional 25,000 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 7.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $797,587,000 after acquiring an additional 814,665 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 13.7% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,561,000 after acquiring an additional 17,429 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc (NYSE: MO) is a U.S.-based consumer goods company whose principal business is the manufacture and sale of tobacco products. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company’s operations are focused primarily on the U.S. market and include the production, marketing and distribution of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and cigars. Its flagship cigarette franchise in the United States is sold through its operating subsidiaries and is among the most recognizable cigarette brands in the country.

Altria’s principal operating businesses include Philip Morris USA (cigarettes), U.S.